The present invention relates to a device in a freezing counter comprising at least one cover to cover the whole opening of the freezing counter or parts of it, the cover being linkedly arranged between an open and a closed position.
Open freezing counters have been in use since a long time e.g. in daily shops. The reason for this is that the goods to be sold should be well exposed and easily accessible to the consumer. The increasing prices for energy and the increasing environmental consciousness, have, however, discovered the large waste of energy in this type of open counters.
For reducing the energy consumption attempts have been made with different kinds of covers arranged over the large openings of the counters, usually sliding or folding covers. To maintain the exposition of products these covers are made of a transparent material, usually plastics.
As is well known temperature differences inside and outside of the counter create an ice formation around the covers. The ice formation is especially a problem with folding covers. The water condensed on the upfolded cover has a tendency to leak downwards along the cover and freeze around the counter's flexible socket. The coldness of the counter and the repeated openings of the cover allow water to accumulate as ice impairing and in the worst case preventing any opening of the cover. This becomes especially difficult, if the covers flexible socket is elongated and tight, the surrounding air thus not being able to flow around the socket to prevent any freezing.
In known counters with foldable covers this problem has been solved by arranging the links and the covers pivoting axis at the side of the freezing counter, e.g. at the outside of the counter. By this arrangement the link will not be exposed to the low temperature in the freezing counter and thus there is no risk of freezing.
To solve the problem of icing in such a way is not acceptable. The shop area must be used in the most efficient way, the floor area being either free for customers or used for exposing goods. Therefore, the freezing counters are designed with the freezing aggregates placed under the actual goods exposing space, the customers thus having access to the frozen goods from all sides. This implies that the covers in use must have their links in the freezing counter opening and preferably along the middle of the freezing counter opening thus giving the customers access to the frozen goods from all sides. Thus, the link itself is exposed to the freezing temperature and icing problems will occur.